Freaks in the City (24 page)

“You always did have excellent taste in
guys,” Jay said. “Well, except for Shawn.”

“Yeah.” Nessa gave a theatrical little moan.
“Boy, was he ever a mistake.”

“A big-time mistake.”

“Matt was a sweetie, though, wasn’t he? I’m
guessing he’s still with Caro?”

“Yes.”

Nessa hesitated and bit her lip. Then she
asked, “How is Caro?”

“She’s doing great.”

“Maybe I should call her sometime.” It was
quietly said, as though more to herself than to Jay.

“Maybe you should,” Jay said. “I’m sure
she’d like to know how you’re doing… after you grovel and apologize
for being the worst friend ever, and beg her not to hang up on
you.”

“Ouch. You don’t pull your punches, do
you?”

Jay shook her head. “No.”

“I kinda like that about you. And Jay? I
don’t need you to pay me the cash Sixer promised me. It wouldn’t be
right to expect you to do that.”

Jay towed her back into the flow of
pedestrians. “And that kind of attitude, Nessa, is exactly why I’ll
make good on Sixer’s deal with you regardless.”

Nessa absorbed this logic in silence for a
couple of minutes. “Oh! Well, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll open a bank account
for you and give you the details when you get home. Now hurry it
up. You don’t want to be late on your first day, do you?”

“Eeek! Hell, no!”

Nessa upped her walking pace and they
arrived with seven minutes to spare, Nessa slightly out of breath
and Jay of course unaffected. “Have a great first day,” she said to
Nessa. “And give me a ring if you’re still feeling freaked about
everything and you want someone to walk you home tonight.”

“I don’t want to put you to any more
trouble.”

“If it was any trouble, I’d arrange for you
take a taxi. Either way, call and let me know what you want to
do.”

“Yes, Mom,” Nessa said.

Jay rolled her eyes.

“Hey, what are your plans for the rest of
the day?”

“Oh, the usual. Saving the world and other
assorted day-to-day chores.”

Nessa gave her trademark giggle. “Better you
than me. See ya!”

Jay waited ’til Nessa disappeared through
the doors before heading off to her next assignment. This morning,
after Tyler had left for class, she’d emailed the application along
with the photo Caro had taken of her back in Snapperton. Just
before lunch she’d gotten the phone call asking her to come in.

Something that she identified as excitement
fizzed through her veins. Today she was going for her first job
interview and she had no doubt whatsoever the experience would
prove to be an interesting exercise.

She’d researched interview techniques.
Common advice given was to be polite and professional, and to
answer questions clearly and concisely. One should not be tempted
to fill silences with babble, as one might inadvertently reveal
more than one was comfortable with, thus putting oneself at a
disadvantage and giving the interviewer the upper hand. Jay didn’t
believe she would have issues with any of that.

The address she’d been given was a dwelling
approximately fifteen minutes easy walking distance from her own
house. Escorting Nessa to Café au Lait meant she was now
twenty-seven minutes walk from her destination… with thirteen
minutes to do it in.

Jay set off at a slow-paced—for her, at
least—jog, which must have looked somewhat incongruous considering
she was dressed in “interview” clothes that hadn’t been too
dissimilar to Nessa’s outfit. The only difference was that along
with her black slacks and black t-shirt, Jay was wearing the
low-heeled boots Nessa had talked her into buying instead of the
sneakers she usually favored. Still, she probably didn’t look too
remarkable—merely like any other girl forced to jog because she was
running late for something. With an added bonus that being a
cyborg, she hadn’t broken a sweat by the time she reached
Honeysuckle Street.

Number 15 Honeysuckle Street was a
subdivided building in a predominately residential area. The front
comprised the Beanz Café, and out back were privately owned rooms.
The directions she’d been given told her to look for the back
entrance.

She slowed to a walk and strolled through
the low wrought iron gate, following the path of uneven cobbles
that snaked down the side of the building to the back door. The
gardens out back were beautiful—cherry trees and extensive flower
beds. Someone had a passion for gardening.

She lifted the door knocker and rapped three
times.

She heard running footsteps, and then the
door was yanked open and a bearded man peered out at her. His
wildly unkempt red hair stuck out in all directions. He wore a
paint-stained shirt, un-tucked, over old baggy sweatpants that
sagged at the knees. His feet were bare. Evidently she shouldn’t
have wasted any time considering the suitability of her “interview”
outfit.

He looked her up and down, starting from her
head and sweeping his gaze down to her toes and back up again,
taking in every little detail. And then he beamed. “Jaime Smythson,
I presume.”

Jay nodded and held out her hand. “Please,
call me Jay.”

“I’m Allen.” He clasped her hand but instead
of shaking it, as would be usual for an encounter such as this, he
drew her inside. “Hoh boy. Lovey, you really are as gorgeous as
your photo. You’re gonna knock their little cotton socks off. All
the guys are gonna spin like tops when they lay eyes on you.”

Jay blinked slowly, her literal brain
conjuring images of barefooted men spinning crazily round in
circles, surrounded by a pile of discarded socks.

Allen led her through to a bright, airy
room. “Total privacy,” he said, winking. “Wouldn’t want to shock
the neighbors now, would we?”

“No. That would not be prudent.”

“Would not be prudent.” Allen brayed a
laugh. “Lovey, you’re hilarious! Everyone’s gonna love you.” He
gave a sweeping flourish with his hand, indicating the electric
blue couch and lemon-colored chairs grouped around a low table in
the corner of the room. “Can I get you a drink? Coffee? They make
the most marvelous coffees at Beanz—best in the neighborhood. Which
is why I don’t bother making my own anymore—they never measured up.
All I need to do is text Danny and he’ll send someone round with
our orders. Or perhaps tea? Herbal?
Chez
Allen
caters
to all tastes.”

“A soda would be lovely. Or water if you
don’t have soda.”

“Diet cola okay with you? Not that
you
need diet anything.”

“Diet is fine, thank you.” Jay chose one of
the easy chairs, preferring a modicum of personal space rather than
risk knocking knees with Allen on the couch. His fulsome
compliments were quite enough to cope with.

He selected a couple of sodas from the
fridge by the sink, and rushed back to hand one to her before
plunking down on the couch. He sat on an angle, one leg crossed, an
arm draped over the chair-back. “So, Jay. I’ve read through your
covering letter and everything seems dandy. You sure don’t have a
problem with nudity? Wouldn’t want you having an attack of the shys
and running screaming from the room when everyone shows up.”

“No. Why would I? It’s just a body. Everyone
has one.”

“Lovey, it’s a damn fine body. And that
face, those eyes—are they contacts?”

“No.”

His eyes rolled to the ceiling and he sank
back against the couch. “Stunning,” he finally announced when he’d
finished with what appeared to be a paroxysm of sheer delight. “You
sure you’re not a model? You absolutely could be one.”

“I have no interest in modeling
professionally.”

“The modeling industry’s loss is our
gain.”

“I’m flattered you would think so.” Jay hid
a smile. Tyler would be scowling and figuring out the best way to
let Allen know she was off limits by now.

“Any scars?” Allen asked.

“No.”

“Pity.” He tugged his beard. “That would be
a fascinating contrast. What about tats?”

“No. I’m sure I could arrange something for
you, however,” Jay said.

Allen gave her startled eyes and then brayed
his raucous laugh again. “Very droll. As if I’d expect you to go to
those lengths.” He waved a languid hand. “No matter. You’re a blank
canvas. The guys can use their imaginations.”

Just as well. Tyler didn’t think much of
tattoos. She couldn’t imagine him being pleased if she got one.
Besides, Jay had no idea whether a tat would ‘take’. She suspected
her dermis might simply absorb the ink and heal any tattoo she
happened to get.

“We’re a very professional group,” Allen
said, his friendly, open expression becoming serious. “You’ll not
find any perverts amongst my students, and inappropriate behavior
is not tolerated. They know the deal.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.”

“So. You want the job? Please say yes! If
the guys find out I’ve let you get away my life won’t be worth
living.”

“Yes,” Jay said. “I want the job.”

“Brilliant!” Allen crowed. He held out his
can and she “toasted” him with hers. In perfect unison they popped
their sodas and took a healthy swig.

Apparently her first job interview had been
a raging success. She couldn’t wait to tell Tyler. This job would
be proof that she could be normal and do the things normal young
people did.

Something fluttered in her stomach—a
sensation akin to butterfly wings. What if she failed at this
seemingly simple task of being like everyone else?

Mmm. Perhaps she
could
wait to tell
Tyler. She could wait until she was certain her performance was
adequate enough that she would be keeping this job.

~~~

Tyler yawned and rubbed his eyes. He blinked
away the sleep and finally managed to focus on the blur standing at
the foot of the bed. Jay. Already up and dressed. And carrying a
tray of breakfast. Just like every other morning this week. It
should be illegal to look that put together this early in the
morning.

He glanced at his watch and grimaced. Not
that it was exactly early. But he’d been pulling shifts at the
college auditorium all week, and after getting home, working on
assignments, and falling into bed in the early hours of the
morning, it seemed pretty early to him.

Damn. He had to be away in a half hour, too.
He yawned again. God. Roll on next week when the guy whose shift he
was covering got back and he had a life again.

“You’re looking very pleased with yourself
this morning,” he mumbled through another yawn.

“I found the perfect rental apartment for
Nessa,” she said.

Huh. Tyler wasn’t sure how he felt about his
ex and his current girlfriend getting all friendly and swapping
stories. He resisted the desire to smother himself with a pillow.
Didn’t bear thinking about.

“Not too close to here, I hope.” He was only
half-joking.

“No. And not too close to your apartment,
either. Allen put me onto it. It’s a one-bedroom—fully
self-contained—overtop the garage. The owner’s son was using it
before he moved out of state for work. It hasn’t even been listed
yet. I think Nessa’s going to love it.”

Tyler sat up, scrubbed his hands through his
hair, and rubbed his face some more. Jay placed the tray on his
lap. “Thanks. This looks really— Hang on. Who’s Allen?”

“I met him after I walked Nessa to work.
This place I found for her is only ten minutes walk from the café
where she works. The rent is very reasonable, too. And if the owner
doesn’t have to list it and pay any fees, he’s prepared to decrease
the bond—provided he thinks Nessa’s a suitable tenant when he meets
her, of course. But that shouldn’t be a problem. She can be very
charming when she puts her mind to it, and it helps that her
standard of dress has improved since she left Snapperton.”

“Great.” But Tyler was more interested in
this Allen dude than he was in Nessa’s potential new accommodation
or Nessa’s improved dress-sense. Jay didn’t make friends with
strangers. Or if she did, this was the first he’d heard of it.

“We’re going to look at it this
morning.”

“Huh?”

She snapped her fingers at him. “Wake up.
Nessa and me. Allen’s taking us to look at the apartment this
morning.”

“Okay. Great.” He looked her over, frowning
as he tried to figure out what it was about her that was setting
off the alarm in his head. She was… different somehow. He’d call it
more confident except Jay had never shown any evidence of lacking
in confidence when dealing with the outside world. If anything, her
confidence put most adults on notice because they didn’t expect a
girl of her apparent age, who looked like her, to be so
self-possessed.

No. It was something else. Some quality he
couldn’t put a name to. She seemed to… glow. And he’d give his left
arm and his left nut to find out what had caused this change in
her. Uh, okay maybe not his left nut.

A green worm of jealousy took a nibble. He
gave himself a mental kick in the butt. See, dumbass? This is what
happens when you’re so caught up in classes and work you neglect
your girlfriend and barely have time to speak to her. Some dude
chats her up and charms her and starts getting all helpful… the
douche.

He grabbed the mug of coffee and took a
couple of healthy swigs. “So. This Allen guy. Tell me all about
him.”

Jay opened her mouth to say something,
frowned, and shut her mouth with an audible snap. Hands on hips and
head cocked slightly to one side she regarded him. “Tyler Michael
Davidson are you jealous?”

“Me?” Tyler dredged up a hopefully credible
laugh. “Nah. Unless… there’s something for me to be jealous
of?”

Her expression blanked. “I believe this
could be one of those times when you should be grateful I’m not
human.”

“Huh? Come again?”